Shaq To Return For Playoffs

Added on Apr 12, 2011 by Scott in

NBA

According to Celtics president Danny Ainge, aging and injured center Shaquille O’Neal will be ready to take the court when the playoffs tip-off this weekend. The 39-year-old Shaq has been sidelined since February with an inflamed Achilles. He made a brief appearance two weeks ago, but was removed five minutes into his comeback after straining a right calf muscle.

Boston’s late season slide has seen them fall to fellow Eastern conference playoff teams Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami. The losses to the Bulls and Heat came by a combined 39 points. Their lack of low post depth has been an issue since backup center Kendrick Perkins was traded back in February.

The decision to ship Perkins to Oklahoma City was supposed to be offset by Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal. However, neither big man has been able to stay healthy. Jermaine has appeared in only 24 games this season, but has averaged over 18 minutes per night since returning to action on March 31st from left knee surgery. He looked sharp in last night’s defeat at Washington, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a season-high 37 minutes.

The longterm availability of both O’Neals will go a long way in deciding how far the Celtics advance in the postseason. As a team, they rank 29th in the league on the glass; only Kevin Garnett is averaging over six boards per game.

Fortunately for Boston, the East isn’t loaded with dominant centers, which includes opening round opponent, the Knicks. Shaq is clearly on his last legs, but his size and strength in the paint would be an added benefit to a team in need of some positive news.

The Celtics will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday at home against New York.

Source: CBSSports.com